Early French Settlements in Illinois

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“Early French Settlements in Illinois” from Pioneers of Illinois by Nehemiah Matson, 1882

The first permanent settlers in Illinois came from Canada, and they were connected either with the Jesuit mission or fur trade. In after years emigrants came direct from France by the way of New Orleans, and established colonies in different Indian villages on the American Bottom. All the settlers lived in villages, and their farms were in a common field, in accordance with the custom of their native country. The leaders of the French colonies were men of education and energy of character, while the masses were illiterate and ignorant, having no enterprise and but little property; nevertheless they were frank, open-hearted, happy people. They took possession of so much of the vacant land around them as they could till, but no more, and appeared to have had no desire to accumulate wealth. Their agricultural implements were rude, mostly of their own manufacture, and the same kind of tools are now in use by some of their descendants. The early settlers lived in harmony with the Indians, intermarrying among them, and in part adopting their habits and customs. For forty years they built no forts, and those erected in after years were not intended for protection against Indian hostilities but from the fear of Spanish invasion, France and Spain being then at war.

The oldest document found in Kaskaskia (except the church records) is dated June 18, 1725, and contains the signatures of fifty persons, who are represented as heads of families. This old document is in the form of a petition to the King of France for assistance,—setting forth the suffering condition of the people on account of the great flood the year before, which washed away most of the improvements, and obliged the people to flee to the bluffs.

By the Louisiana Company horses were brought from the Spanish settlements in Mexico to take the place of Indian ponies, and cattle, hogs, sheep, and chickens were brought from Canada. Wild geese, ducks and turkeys were domesticated, and from this stock most of the fowls of the present day sprang. It is said two pigs were brought from Montreal to Cahokia in a canoe, and from these pigs hogs to supply the different settlements originated. Many efforts were made to domesticate buffalo, but it proved a failure, as the tame ones would go off with wild herds. But they succeeded in crossing them with cattle, and at the present time some of the progeny show strong marks of buffalo origin, and their pelts are tanned for robes. Horses ran in large droves in the canebreaks along the Mississippi River, became wild, and in after years many of them were caught with a lasso and brought into use.

In 1721 Phillip Raynault brought five hundred slaves from St. Domingo to Fort Chartres, and by this means slavery was introduced into Illinois. Raynault with a large number of slaves and a few of his countrymen ascended the Mississippi River to the lead mines, and erected a furnace for smelting lead on or near the present site of Galena. A portion of this lead was shipped to New Orleans, and sold to the Spaniards in Mexico.

Father Vevier, a Jesuit missionary, writing from Prairie du Rocher under date of June 10, 1750, says "there are between the Mississippi and Kaskaskia Rivers, within twenty-one leagues, five French and three Indian villages. Most of the French settlers till the soil, raising wheat, maize, with various other products, some of which are shipped to New Orleans, where it finds a ready market."

In the early settlement of the country the French made wine from the wild grape, but in after years they cultivated vineyards, and built wine-presses. The buffalo was of great service to the early pioneers; the flesh they used for food, the hides for robes or tanned into leather, and the hair thej spun and wove into a fine fabric for clothing.

The Royal Louisiana Company gave large tracts of land to each village which belonged jointly to the inhabitants, and this title has been confirmed by subsequent laws. These grants were divided into two tracts, known as Common Field and Commons, and included many thousand acres to each village. The common field consisted in farm land all fenced into one field, the boundaries of each person's premises were designated by landmarks, and these tracts belonged to the occupant in fee simple, and could be bought and sold the same as other landed property. A village ordinance was in force regarding making and repairing fences, the time of excluding- stock in the spring, gathering the crops, and opening the field for pasture in the fall.

The commons was a tract of land granted to each town for wood and pasture, of which every owner of a village lot has an interest. The French villages at the time of early settlement were governed by the priest, who, besides attending to their spiritual wants, dispensed justice, and from his decision there was no appeal. Although the authority of the priest was absolute there appears to have been no abuse of this power, as the holy father watched over his flock with paternal care.

Matson, Nehemiah. Pioneers of Illinois, Containing a Series of Sketches Relating to Events That Occurred Previous to 1813, Also Narratives of Many Thrilling Incidents Connected with the Early Settlement of the West, Drawn from History, Tradition and Personal Reminiscences. Knight & Leonard, Printers, 1882.

Nehemiah Matson

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